Z Living Systems transforms walls into vertical gardens

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional look at local start-up companies, many established through the SLO Hothouse, a Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship program that helps launch the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Urban landscapes do not have to be lifeless masses of drab concrete and stone.

Rather, the places where people work, live, play and even pass by on their daily commute can be transformed into tranquil environments, infused with nature, said Robert Zacks, founder and chief executive officer of Z Living Systems in San Luis Obispo.

Zacks and his team are well on their way to creating such spaces through the company that plans, designs and builds living walls — walls covered with plants - for cities, private businesses and residences.

In turn, cities and businesses can reach their goal of being green by investing in projects that are attractive and sustainable, helping to limit water use and clean the air.

"With most startups, you usually think technology," said Zacks, a Cal Poly graduate. "But for me, my passion is about the environment and entrepreneurship, and ever since I moved to SLO, I've wanted to increase awareness of environmental issues."

The fledgling company, established in 2013, is an outgrowth of the SLO HotHouse, a program launched by Cal Poly's Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship that helps university students and alumni start a company. Z Living Systems received $7,000 from the HotHouse and initial funding from Zacks' family of about $30,000, which was spent mostly on research and development on the company's proprietary system.

Plants, hardy drought-tolerant native species, are first transplanted into the company's living wall pots from their original nursery pots, delivered to their new home, unloaded and hung onto a prefabricated structure, said Jasmine McDermott, co-founder, company spokeswoman and Cal Poly graduate.

The plants are watered via an irrigation system, similar to drip irrigation used for row crops, she said. Tubing is run laterally across the structure or building and drip emitters are inserted above where each pot will be hung. A smart irrigation controller is used to monitor the plants remotely, McDermott said.

The company, which helps clients to develop a plan and design for their living walls, works closely with local crews to maintain the living wall. Zacks developed the idea of living walls after spending time in Europe, where they have long been part of urban landscapes. He saw them in Paris and was "amazed that they had turned these concrete walls into living murals," he said.

The goal for the company now is to expand, but that will depend on its ability to spread the word to potential clients about living walls in an increasingly competitive marketplace, said McDermott.

"Once they know what they are, we then have to educate them about living wall construction, environmental benefits and operation," she said.

The team recently installed a living wall at The Resort, a high-end residential development in Playa Vista, a community in Los Angeles. The 140-foot-wall spans entrances on both sides of the building and transitions from the outside to the inside.

It also has plans to install a 2,000-square-foot living wall in San Francisco and has two projects at private residences in Los Angeles.

Closer to home, Z Living Systems is working on a project for the new MindBody building at Broad Street and Tank Farm Road.

"This is our first local project, and we are very excited about it," McDermott said. "We hope to establish more local projects and collaborate with SLO companies, developers, architects and contractors because our community is very important to us."

This story was originally published November 28, 2014 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Z Living Systems transforms walls into vertical gardens."